Give Her Some Credit: Extras and Missing Moments
by kmwhyte
Summary: Companion to Give Her Some Credit. This will be a set of mini-chapters that are missing from Give Her Some Credit.
1. Conviction

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the songs I make reference to. If I did own Twilight, this story would be sold in stores everywhere with less grammar/spelling mistakes and I'd be rich… Damn :(**

**A/N: I wanted to include moments that were too short to actually be chapters, but moments that are still interesting (at least to me). The story can definitely go on without them, but they do follow it nonetheless. **

**This particular part is when Jasper goes to talk to Edward while Alice is with Bella in Chapter 22 – Cry.**

**JPOV (Jasper)**

I stood at his door for several moments weighing his emotions.

Sorrow.

Shame.

Depression.

Confusion.

Typical Edward from the looks of it; but the last emotion confused me.

Conviction.

I opened the door slowly and inched my way in. He stood next to his double-paned window staring out into the yard. "Edward." _I'm not sure what to say to you._ The truth was… he blew it when he left Bella and we all knew it, but it wasn't just his fault. It was mine as well.

"It's not your fault Jasper; I should've known better." I shook my head, sharing my silent protest. "I'll make you a deal; you don't blame yourself and I'll never blame you either."

_How about you don't blame yourself? That would be more fruitful._

"No. That's simply denying the truth. I caused this… I lost Bella." He looked to the floor.

"Where the hell did the conviction come from and why did it disappear? Edward, she loves you; you know that."

"She doesn't want me Jasper."

I walked closer. _What am I feeling from her right now? I know you can't hear her talking to Alice, but you must know her feelings since I'm sensing them._ I could feel her resolution and guilt and fear and love; love for the family, for Renesmee, and for him.

"She still loves me?" He formed it into a question. _Are you kidding me? Of course she loves you; she just doesn't know how to do this. She's so confused and she's afraid of getting her heartbroken again._ "I would never hurt her again. I never wanted to in the first place."

"I know, but you got to give her time. Believe me, she'll come back, but she needs to see that you aren't going anywhere and that you love her more than anything. Give her some credit; feelings like that can't just be lost." He nodded. Conviction came back into his mind.

**A/N: It's short and to the point. Jasper isn't going to reveal everything to Edward; he wouldn't do that to Bella, but it's pretty much common sense that she still loves him.**

**Okay, here's my question. What moments that are missing do you want to see? I won't include them if they're completely boring (like if they're talking about cell mutation in Bio or Bella is taking a shower before she goes shopping; yeah those would be too boring, lol) but I will write anything that has some 'meat' to it. I don't promise length :)**

**As always, Read, Review, Comment!**

**~ kmwhyte**


	2. Into the Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing when it comes to Twilight. I know… I'm sad too!**

**A/N: This outtake is from after chapter 22 (Cry). It takes place after Bella, Alice and Renesmee leave to go back to Bella's house (After the infamous Cullen/Bella reunion and question session, along with the Bella/Edward talk). I hope you enjoy it!**

**EPOV**

I walked back into the house to see Emmett and Esme staring back at me. Both were wearing rather large smiles on their faces.

Emmett. "_Dude…"_

_Oh for the love of god!_

Esme. _"I'm so happy for you and Bella; Renesmee is perfect."_

I smiled back at Esme; I couldn't find it in myself to crush her hopes just yet.

As Esme walked off towards the garage Emmett came forward. "Seriously Ed, are you positive you're the father? I mean, she's a beautiful girl; she doesn't look that much like you." He didn't even make it to the end of his statement without laughing. I glared at him, hoping he would take a hint. "Okay, seriously she's great and all, but how come you never told me you lost your 'virtue.'" He said the word like it was a secret and I instantly wanted to punch him.

I clenched my jaw and spoke. "I am not having this conversation with you, Emmett."

I started to walk away, but he wasn't letting it go. "Come on, Edward." His voice boomed as I tried to ignore him. "I could have given you some pointers. Obviously you got the fundamentals right, but how do you know she enjoyed it."

I held myself to the staircase; crushing the wooden banister slightly under my hand. "Leave it alone, Emmett."

He walked past me up the stairs towards his room. He didn't _say _anything else, but his thoughts were blaring._ "Geez. That's rough; wait nearly 100 years to get laid and then you have to go twenty years without it. No wonder he left us…"_ He was laughing to himself as he shut his bedroom door and I shattered the banister.

"Sounds's like you have a project tonight, Edward." Esme called from the garage. It wouldn't take long to fix it.

I looked back behind me; Rosalie was glaring daggers at me from the living room, but her mind was cautious.

"What, Rosalie?" I was not in the mood.

"_You really are a pain in my ass, Edward."_ She thought.

"What did I do now?" I couldn't care to guess; it was always something.

"_What did you do? Please."_ She refused to speak aloud, but I couldn't decipher why.

I couldn't think of why she was mad; then again she was always mad. "Do I get options to choose from?" She snarled at the comment.

"You got Bella pregnant and you just _left_," she hissed, not bothering to silently communicate anymore.

_Since when does she stand up for Bella?_ "I don't see why you care, Rosalie, but either way it's none of your business." Rosalie had no right to this conversation; she was the last person I would choose to discuss this with and she should be well aware of that fact. "Besides I didn't know she was pregnant." I hadn't even known it was a possibility.

The word, 'sister,' was vibrating through her mind over and over again. _So that's it, she now thinks of Bella as a sister and she's defending her. Talk about being late to a party._ "You knew you slept with her, or were you not present for that," she sneered as she took a few steps towards me.

"Of course I know that Rosalie. This is none of your business. I never knew that her becoming pregnant was even a possibility."

"You _used_ her. You slept with her and you abandoned her." She was screaming it over and over in her head. She saw me the same way as she saw the men who attacked her so many years ago. The men who raped and beat her to death….

"I am not like the men that raped and attacked you, Rosalie" I roared. "I love Bella and that's why we had sex. I did _not_ use her. I did _not_ abandon her; I thought I was protecting her. I was wrong. But you have no right to compare me to _those_ 'men.'"

"_Just because you didn't kill her doesn't mean you're not as immoral as they are, Edward." _She walked around me and I growled. At that point she became distracted and her thoughts cleared for a moment. _"It's his fault, we all missed being with Renesmee because of _him_, I hate him…"_

So that was it. It wasn't the fact that I reminded her of the men who had abused her to the point of death; although it was an obvious connection in her mind. No, it was because she was mad that she missed being around Renesmee from the moment she was born. She blamed me for taking away the one chance for her to be any kind of a mother.

"She would have never been your daughter, Rose." I whispered. I purposefully was trying to be as gentle as possible. Having children was the most important part of humanity to Rosalie and that is what she longed for. "You wouldn't have been her mother either way."

She spun around so quickly I took a step back from her crouching figure. "How dare you! Of course I wouldn't have been her mother. Bella is her mother! But we could have all been a family for her. But you… you made everything change!"

"Yes, and _you_ cheered me on! Do you remember that? You were the one that was always so quick to agree with my decision; the only one, in fact." I didn't think before I spoke, but it was true.

Rosalie relaxed from her crouch and started to slowly ascend the stairs. "And you took comfort in that…"

It was true, I took comfort that at least one family member agreed that it was best for Bella.

**RPOV (Rosalie)**

_Damn, Edward._ I opened my bedroom door and walked inside to see Emmett sitting on the bed. He waggled his eyebrows and licked his lips.

"Not tonight." I was not in the mood.

"What'd I do?" He sounded like a three year old.

I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. "You didn't do anything. I'm just mad at Edward and today was… It was overwhelming. Just not tonight, okay?"

He mumbled something about Edward ruining all of his fun and pulled me into his lap. "Do you want to talk about it?" That was my sweet Emmett; he always made me feel safe and loved and secure.

"Kind of; do you mind?"

"Not at all," he smiled.

I molded my form into his massive chest to get comfortable. "First tell me what I missed; tell me what Bella had to say?"

He sighed. "Well you caught the whole Nes ripping her insides out to be born and the fact that she chose Alice's venom over his, right?" Of course I did; being a vampire didn't make me slow. I nodded. "Okay, well, no one asked about the conception, but I gotta tell you, I think that would have been a conversation…"

I laughed quietly. I can't imagine overhearing that kind of conversation without the added bonus of Bella blushing. "Emmett, there's no way she would have participated in that conversation."

"I know, but the reaction would have probably been worth it," he laughed so hard I shook in his arms. "Anyways, Carlisle asked all about how she found out she was pregnant with Edward's love child and how she dealt with it. Apparently, she was showing after a week or so and she ended up lying to both her parents and running away."

"She ran away?"

"Yeah, but only to our house, remember?" I nodded. "She lived there and drank blood to survive and ended up calling that Weber girl to help her deliver the baby and take care of it till she was changed-"

"Wait, what do you mean? She told her about vampires?" I was livid; I always knew she'd blow our secret.

"No, no. She didn't tell her anything and I guess the girl never really asked. She was probably too freaked out."

"I'll bet…" I sighed.

Emmett shifted to look at me and then continued. "I guess Renesmee never attacked the girl and once Bella was changed and had a chance to feed, she and Nes left Forks for good." He smiled brightly, obviously proud of something, but I didn't ask.

"How'd she survive?" What did she do for money and shelter? Did she attack anyone? I was drowning in questions.

"Apparently Alice left her some things. Man, you should have seen Edward's face, he's so pissed." He laughed.

"What kind of things?"

"I don't know, they didn't say everything, but she did leave some money and documents to help her out." So Alice knew?

No, she would have said something or snuck off to find her if she did. "But Alice swears she had no idea that Bella was pregnant… apparently she can't see Nes and when Bella is around her, she disappears too; anyone does."

"That's weird." _I bet Alice is hating that._ "So what else was said?"

"Well, apparently Carlisle thinks Bella has a power; she's a shield, I guess…"

"A shield? To what?" I laughed at her expense, like she could defend herself any better than me.

"I guess she can shield her mind. That's why Edward can't hear her thoughts still." That made me laugh as well. The only person immune to Edward still can't be heard. "They were talking about her progressing with it; like making it surround others or turning it off or something. I don't know, I started getting bored."

I laughed and kissed his cheek, he was such a kid sometimes. "Anything else?"

"Yeah… apparently Bella has traveled all over the country and even to Canada over the past twenty years…"

"So?" I couldn't see where he was going with this.

"Well, I didn't know… that she didn't know. I figured he would have told her, or at least Alice would have… but she didn't know he looked for her and I kinda blew it." The last part came out in a rush as he put his head down. He probably thought I'd scold him, but honestly, I didn't care. She should know.

"Okay, what happened after that?" I rubbed his shoulder showing that I wasn't mad.

"Bella was pretty shocked and then she and Edward went upstairs to talk. I'm not sure what happened, but they don't seem to be all lovey, so I'm guessing it didn't go that well."

"Obviously," I whispered.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! I had to write it, but I had already passed the point of putting it in the real story, but as far as the plot goes, it did actually happen. Thanks for the support. I will add more to both soon :)**

**~kmwhyte**


	3. Questioning

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Twilight… I wish I did, but I don't… now I'm sad…**

**A/N: This outtake takes place sometime after Chapter 22 (after Bella and Renesmee meet the Cullens) and before Chapter 23 (when all the girls going shopping). This is Edward and Carlisle's conversation concerning his girls.**

**FYI: I'm sorry I suck at updating the real story right now, but I am working on the next chapter. It 'should' be up sometime tomorrow, it's about halfway done. But I refuse to update something I don't like, I'm too much of a perfectionist for that :)**

**EPOV (Edward)**

Carlisle called me into his office on Wednesday evening shortly after he arrived home from his shift.

I walked in and closed the door. Emmett and Rosalie were hunting, but Alice, Jasper, and Esme were around and most likely, insanely curious as to the conversation that was about to commence.

"_Edward, I realize this conversation will probably be a bit… uncomfortable for you and me, but I do think it needs to be had, don't you?"_ I nodded. He not only had the scientific curiosity; he was curious from the standpoint of a father and grandfather, as well.

"Alright then, I assume the usual 'human' tactics were used to conceive Renesmee." I nodded at his statement.

_Check one for uncomfortable._

"And you were able to control yourself? She hadn't appeared physically harmed at all then."

I sighed; dreading the conversation that was starting. "Yes, I was able to control myself. I focused on her heartbeat and it seemed to deter all of the animalistic tendencies. She did receive a few bruises, but they were well hidden from public view."

"_I don't think we need to discuss those, unless there were other injuries…" _

_Thank goodness for small miracles._

"Had you noticed anything different concerning her body or its behavior during the remaining days you had with her?"

I recalled my last few days with Bella before my decision. I hadn't thought about it in a very long time, but it all came back into perfect clarity. "No. The only difference in her body was the bruises." I thought about her beautiful, fragile human form. I had felt so guilty about the bruises. I had never intended to have sex with Bella, at least not at that point in time, and I certainly didn't intend to hurt her. "Her sleep patterns were a bit different. She slept longer and didn't stir as much, but I hadn't stayed every night, or even all night, for those last few days. It never occurred to me that a pregnancy was a possibility."

"Nor to me; even if I had known about your actions, I wouldn't have guessed or warned you." Carlisle looked down._ "I'm impressed that Bella discovered the truth so quickly, and rationally, but then again _it is Bella_."_

"Yes, it is Bella." I whispered. Everything always happened to Bella and I wasn't even there to help her through this. But apparently, she didn't need me to survive. Alice is right; I need to give her more credit. She's much more capable than I gave her credit for.

"I can't believe she knew what to do… she could have very possibly…" Carlisle didn't say it aloud, but it was obvious what he was alluding to.

She could have died.

Because of me, she could have died.

I sighed at my misguided attempt to protect her.

"Edward?" I looked at him, not really realizing that I had been staring at the intricate design of his rug while pondering my mistakes concerning Bella. "Is there anything else that I need to know, from a medical standpoint?"

"No, I don't think so, but I don't understand how it happened." I was glad that Renesmee existed, but I was still completely confused as to how.

Carlisle nodded. "I don't think I can be completely positive of Bella's theory because she is the only one it applies to. It makes sense that a male vampire has the ability to father children because technically, males are fertile their entire lives after puberty. I just didn't realize it. I assumed that it stopped after the change, but perhaps… there was just never a viable reason to discover the reality of it. Females need their monthly change to conceive children and as we all know, once you're a vampire, you don't change.

"But Bella does, or did." Carlisle corrected himself. "Her theory does make sense. It's quite interesting actually."

_Quite._

"What are you going to do now, Edward?" He asked, but I only answered halfheartedly still thinking about the uncertainty of the theory. It was the most plausible, but we still had no way of knowing for sure.

"Um, I'm going to spend as much time with Renesmee as possible and be a good father, I hope. She seems so easy to please, but I'm terrified of disappointing her."

Carlisle nodded his head once again. "Good, that's very good. I'm sure you will do fine, but I was actually wondering what you were going to do about Bella…" _"It wasn't difficult to see the tension there, son. Especially after Emmett revealed that you had search for her; I take it you hadn't told her that yet."_

I stood up and began pacing the room, not meeting Carlisle's eyes. "She is furious with me, Carlisle, but it's more than that. She wants to be with me, but she won't let herself go there. She has written it off as impossible and I don't know how to change her mind. I lied to her twenty years ago and I don't know how I'm supposed to make it up to her." I spoke quickly. "Now she's grown eerily calm about it. She just keeps saying we're over. She's making it her mantra and I don't know how to get her back. What do I do?!"

I was at a loss and I would take his advice at any cost; even my pride. I was wrong and I just wanted to fix it.

I hadn't noticed Carlisle leave his desk until her placed a hand on my shoulder; halting my pacing for the time being. "Edward, give her time; she needs it. You've had twenty years to know how you feel about her and how she felt about you." I flinched at his use of past tense when it came to Bella. "She needs to figure out what this means for herself; and Renesmee. She has a daughter to think about now and that bond is incredibly substantial; just ask Esme. She'd give up anything for her children."

I nodded. Time I could give, I had an eternity of it, but I didn't want to waste anymore…


	4. Love and Guilt

**Disclaimer: Who is seriously stupid enough to say they own Twilight... well, not me (I just _wish_ I owned it!)**

**A/N: This missing moment is set within Chapter 21, which is when Bella and Edward are confronting some issues; i.e. him searching for fourteen years and her saying it's too late. I got the suggestion and figured since I already had both Bella's and Edward's POV, why not add a 3****rd****, hehe. Here's, from Jasper's POV, what was happening in Alice's room.**

**JPOV**

I was wishing for the best.

I was hoping against all odds, that everything would be settled in a nicely wrapped package after this conversation.

Of course, I needed to voice my apologies to Bella, and possibly Renesmee, but still… If they just got back together here and now, everything would work out perfectly.

Unfortunately, Alice had not been able to comfort me; there were no alternatives playing in her mind. She was completely unaware of what would, or even could, happen. She was tense, incredibly so, because she couldn't see a 'damned thing because of that beautiful niece.' Her words, not mine. Although I agreed.

I felt no vibrations from Edward's room, which meant no one was walking around. _God, I hope they are at least looking to one another._

I was positive that their feelings would be evident on their faces. The emotions were so strong.

Bella; Relief, Shock, Guilt, Rage, Sympathy, Forgiveness, Insecurity, Love

Edward; Sorrow, Hope, Pride, Guilt, Responsibility, Depression, Fear, Self loathing, Love.

The irony that they both felt unwavering amounts of love and guilt was not lost on me. It was _so_ Bella and Edward. They both needed to voice all their concerns and insecurities. I sent them both a wave of self-confidence and assurance to reveal everything they had yet to.

"What's happening, Alice?" I saw the faraway look in her eyes as she perched herself on the arm of our couch. Though she couldn't see it prior; she could see it as it happened. Between the two of us, we basically were just watching the soap opera play out. We couldn't really change anything.

"She surprised; he's admitting everything… finally. But she's not saying much… it's like she's unsure of his sincerity or something." Alice's frustrations were obvious.

"He's being sincere, but she feels… regretful. I don't know why." It was hard to decipher the program without both aspects.

"She had moved on… No, she had figured out how to live without him. She gave up, because he did. God, they can be so stupid!" Alice threw her head back in exasperation; effectively moving the couch back two feet. "She's telling him she doesn't want to be with him anymore; she's rejecting him."

"And he's feeling it… but she doesn't want to reject him. Damn, she must be fighting with everything she has not to fall into his arms… She's forgiven him already and she's feeling an incredible amount of love right now, but she's keeping it at bay." I was so confused, why wouldn't she be with him now? She's wants it; it's obvious.

"She's stubborn, like him. She told him all the things she gave up when he left her and she's using it as an excuse; she doesn't care about those things. She could care less if she graduated in Forks or was mortal. It's all an excuse…"

"…Because she's scared to want him, to rely on him." I continued Alice's statement. The completed fact was just that; a fact. "She's terrified to need him again and she's fighting it with everything she has. And he's crushed; worse than before…"

"CRAP!" Alice was angry; not at Bella, or even Edward, but at their ability to truly mess up their lives and affect everyone else's. Of course she felt for them and wanted them to be happy, but Edward had been warding off Alice's interference for years to the point where their closeness had taken a few too many hits. Their relationship needed to be rebuilt, almost to the point of Bella's and Edward's. Although, I knew if theirs happened to work out, both Alice and Edward would finally fall back into their old habits.

"She's coming, but he won't follow; dumbass." I felt Bella heave herself against our bedroom door; no doubt looking for a calming place to wallow and resolve her decisions; unfortunately she had only managed to find herself facing a conversation with Alice.

**A/N: Tons of more outtakes to come! Promise, and the next chapter of Give Her Some Credit should be up this weekend some time :) Thanks to all my reviewers, you ROCK!**

**~kmwhyte**


	5. Credit Due

**Disclaimer: I own nothing when it comes to Twilight but I do love manipulating the characters and creating my own story!**

**A/N: This missing moment is actually a double shot; yay! First you will know how Renesmee got the credit card information and got Bella to move to Ohio (it wasn't too difficult). Then you'll see the conversation between Alice and Edward concerning said credit card. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Comment and Review Please!**

**~kmwhyte**

**RPOV (Renesmee POV)**

The wind blew my hair around my shoulders; creating just a bit of frizz. I closed my eyes; holding the plastic card in my fingers; trying to steady my nerves. As much as I wanted this, I wasn't sure if it was going to lead me where I wanted, or even to the reactions I expected.

I had lived nineteen years without knowing my Dad and the rest of my family; just me and mom.

Mom was great; she was my best friend, my confidant, my shoulder to rely on… but I wanted the rest of my family… and I wanted my Dad. There were questions she couldn't answer and some she just didn't know how to. There were things she didn't know how to deal with and things that I didn't know how to address with her; like what happened with her and Dad.

I breathed in the cool air. We were leaving Anchorage any day now. Time had come; we graduated last year and Mom swore we were wearing out our welcome. Rumors were flying, the girls swore we never aged the three years we were here, and the boys… they were becoming more persistent. It was time to go.

Mom wasn't sure where we would move next; usually we would just drive until we found a small town that would be "easy" to blend into; not that we ever could "blend in." We were the freaks; the beautiful freaks.

I knew where I wanted to go; or rather who I wanted to go with. As long as Dad and the rest of the Cullens were there with me and Mom, I'd be happy. But I didn't know where they were.

I gripped the plastic card again.

Mom was working at the local grocery store, Nelson's Produce. They sold more than produce; the name always seemed to irk Mom, but I think it was just because she hated the job. I had taken her cell phone from her purse; she'd never notice it was gone; she barely used it except to call Charlie or Renee.

I just had to follow through; this was _my_ plan. Why couldn't I get the courage to follow through?

We could wander the world for a hundred years and never happen to cross paths; and that wasn't an option for me anymore. I wanted _my whole family_; every single one of them.

"Just do it, Renesmee. Worse that could happen would be… I don't find them…" That would be tragic, but I refused to accept that as a possibility.

Another deep breath and I dialed the number for the credit card company.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

"Please one for English or two for Spanish." I pressed one, realizing I would need to talk to a real person, and then pushed zero for a representative. "Please hold for a representative; you are customer… 3. Customers are served in the order that they called; thank you for your patronage."

I waited; it didn't take long for a representative to come to the line.

"Hello, my name is Rick, how may I be of service to you this afternoon."

_Here goes nothing._

"My name is Bella Swan. I just moved a few weeks ago and I hadn't received my new bill yet and I wanted to see if my address had been changed correctly." _That sounds believable._

"Okay Ms. Swan, can I have your credit card number?" I recited the number, not even glancing at the card. "Okay, can I have your social security number to ensure that it is you?" _Dumbass._ Anyone could have stolen a social security number; how does that prove that I'm Bella?

I told Rick Mom's number; I could hear him typing away on the other end of the line. "Okay Ms. Swan, it looks like your address is a PO Box in New York. Would that be correct?"

I smiled to myself; I had always wanted to go to New York, but that didn't give me enough information. "Yeah, New York… maybe they got the zip code or box number wrong?"

"1735 Brantley Road, 504 P.O. Box, New York, New York 10286; is that correct, Ms. Swan?" _YES!_

"Yes, the bill must just be late… thank you Rick, so much."

"No problem at all Ms. Swan, please call back if you have any more problems with your account. Have a good day."

_I will…_

I smiled to myself while shoving the credit card in my back pocket for safe keeping. I kneeled down to the notebook at my feet.

_1735 Brantley Road, 504 P.O. Box, New York, New York 10286_

I wrote the address down. I still didn't have a home address, but this is already more than I started with.

I dialed 411; before I lost my nerve. "Please state the city and state you are searching in."

"New York, New York." I claimed.

"Residential or Business."

"Business."

A female operator took over from that point. "What type of business are you looking for?"

"A post office; at 1735 Brantley Road." _Please, please, please…_

"Would you like for me to connect you?"

"Yes, please," I squeaked.

"One moment…" The line transferred and then a man answered.

"Brantley Post Office, how may assist you today?"

"Um, my name is Esme Cullen and I was checking to see if my P.O. Box had been emptied lately; is there any way you can check on that for me, please?"

"Oh, Mrs. Cullen, absolutely!" The line clicked to hold music within a second.

_So they are used to dealing with the Cullens; good sign._

No more than five minutes passed and another man answered back. "Mrs. Cullen, my name is Adam Malone; I am the supervisor on shift today."

"Hello Mr. Malone." I laid on the respectful tone, hoping he wouldn't see through the lies.

"You're mail was just sent out to the address on file two days ago; overnight air. Was there something missing, or…"

"No, no. I got the mail." I lied. "But it was rerouted several times because the address was wrong. I was wondering which address you had on file."

"Mrs. Cullen, um, we only give that information to you and your family members in person, at your request… remember?"

"Of course…" _Shit; don't lose focus now…_ "I'm glad to hear that you are keeping up with that request, but as you know… I'm not able to come in at this time. Is there a security question I can answer for you, Mr. Malone?" _I'll probably never know the answer, but… maybe?_

"That's not our policy, Miss." _Great, he's not calling me Mrs. Cullen anymore._

"Mr. Malone… my name is Kristen McCoy. I am an agent with the Swan Collection Agency. Are you aware that the Cullens are in debt; well over two million dollars?"

"N-no, Miss, I-I was n-not." He stuttered, clearly shaken by the authority I was feigning.

"Were you aware that their credit card from Visa is defiant and overdrawn twenty two thousand dollars?"

"No Miss." He seemed saddened by the announcement. _At least he believes me…_

"Well, they have given our company bogus information; fake number and address. So here's what I need you to do, Mr. Malone; I need their three most recent addresses and I need them yesterday. Are you aware that by not giving them over you could be seen as an accomplice since you handle their mail for sorting purposes?"

His whispered voice to his coworkers was completely inaudible. He was freaking out; good, that's what I was going for.

After several moments, he came back to the line. "Ms. McCoy, I have dealt with the Cullens for many years and while I do not know anything about this, I don't wish to make life difficult for them; they are good people. I will give you the addresses, but please do not call again. I simply send the mail to the most recent address every week… that is all."

I covered the receiver as I laughed to myself. He was scared out of his mind. "I understand you're a good man… I will keep that in mind when dealing with the Cullens, Mr. Malone."

He told me the addresses and abruptly hung up on me.

_Montana, North Dakota, Ohio…_ So Ohio was the last address; the most recent. _Ohio, here I come._

***

We were driving, just passing the Colorado state lines. "So which direction, honey? Any request?" Mom laughed without humor; she couldn't care less where we went.

"Hmm, stay north, maybe Iowa, or Ohio… Ohio always looks pretty." I could be more specific once we got there.

She nodded her head, picking up the speed.

**APOV (Alice POV; shortly after Alice came back from dropping off Bella and Nes in Chapter 22)**

"Alice!" Edward called as I parked my Porsche; my pretty baby.

I knew it was coming; I was actually kind of shocked it took this long. My beautiful niece was still messing with my visions. _It would take some practice to be able to see around her._ Yet, still I wasn't surprised when I saw Edward darting from the house to my side, looking murderous.

"You left her a note! A trunk of… things to help her! And you didn't tell me!?" He growled, clearly not seeing the most important point; that without my help both of them would not be here.

_Hello, I'm the one that saved them; how about a 'thank you,' dear brother?_

"Thank you," he hissed. "But how could you not tell me, Alice?"

"Edward, keep your temper under control and I'll explain." He nodded while fisting his hands in his pockets. "I saw myself leaving those things for Bella; the clothes, the keys, the blank papers, the money, the credit card. I left a note to explain why I left them; but I had _no_ idea that she was pregnant, that she was in danger, or even why she would need those things. I just knew she would and I had to help her; she's my sister."

He looked to the ground. "Why a credit card?" It was barely a whisper.

"I left it in case she ever got in trouble and needed me. I wrote that if she ever wanted to find me, or needed my help, that I would come if she used it."

"But she never did." He knew it; I didn't have to agree, but I did.

"No, neither of them used it."

"They didn't need me," he whispered solemnly.

"Oh, shut up! For god's sake, Edward. She thought you didn't want her and she was afraid you'd be mad at her; that we'd leave again. Besides, it says more about her not needing me than you." My rage boiled down into self loathing at that point.

"Alice, she loves you; it's obvious with how she acts around you."

"Trust me; she loves you, too." With that I walked in the house; Jazz would help me focus on the positive. Besides, shopping on Saturday…


	6. The Car Plan

**Disclaimer: I own nothing when it concerns to Twilight, but man I wish I did…**

**A/N: Here is a few bits of missing information from the "car plan," along with an alternate POV for the car ride home from the mall in chapter twenty four (the second part of the shopping trip for all the girls).**

**Hope you enjoy! BTW, if you review and ask for it; you'll get a sneak peak at the next chapter of the main story; Give Her Some Credit.**

**Read, Review, and Comment!**

**~kmwhyte**

**APOV (Alice)**

She's a genius… she's just like me. _Ohh, this is gonna be fun!_

"I have an idea…" I whispered; not that it mattered, we were alone in the dressing room.

It was genius; Bella and Edward needed to spend more time together, preferably alone, but we could work up to that. But, first things first, Bella and Edward need to be together as much as we all could manage. Manipulation is going to be key; along with hiding my thoughts thoroughly.

"Well…?" Renesmee snapped her fingers in front of my face, trying to gain my attention.

"You can't know."

"What?! Why not?" She was upset, but she didn't need to be in on _this_ plan… not consciously.

"Trust me; it'll be easier if you don't know about this… it won't make a huge difference, but it'll probably do something… that will push them in the right direction." I giggled as I put on my original shirt, leaving the pile that we had deemed "completely irresistible."

"Fine." She relented, completely irritated.

"I'll meet you at the next store, hun." I ran out of the store, leaving her flustered and holding my credit card to pay for the clothes. I had business to attend to before Bella and Rose came back from their talk.

I got to my car in a few brief seconds; it would have been less if there hadn't been anyone else around, but it is the mall after all. I lifted my hood, looking over my baby's beautiful engine. It was pristine and completely chrome, thanks to Rosalie.

I took in a deep breath, "I'm sorry baby, it's for the greater good…" I snapped two of the wires connecting something or other; like it mattered… here I was hurting my precious baby all for my difficult siblings… ugh!

***

**JPOV (Jasper)**

I was bored and missing Alice. I had circled our room twice hoping to find something to preoccupy myself with, but so far there was nothing remotely interesting.

So here I sit…alone.

_Beep. _

A text message… from Alice. I hoped it was to inform me that she would be coming home early, but I sincerely doubted that since she was shopping.

_Jaz, come get us. Bring the boys; Volvo and Mercedes._

Huh?

_Beep._

Another text message…

_NOW! Nes WILL BE sleepy, help her out :) Love ya!_

Now, I'm confused.

But that was typical with Alice; she ordered first and then explained after it was all said and done. Guess it's time to get going…

_Beep._

Ugh…

_Thanks._

***

**EPOV (Edward)**

"_What the hell is going on?"_ Emmett was just as confused as I was.

It was one thing that the girls apparently needed to be picked up from the mall; it was completely another thing that they needed all three of us to pick them up.

Fortunately, I couldn't find it in myself to care _too_ much; I missed Renesmee. I missed Bella too, but I was finding that if I didn't see her as much, I didn't hurt as much. She was close, but out of sight. I knew she was safe and well; and seemingly happy… So it eased the pain a bit, but only marginally.

And then I saw her…

Damn, she's gorgeous… and then there's my beautiful daughter. Damn, I'm lucky; now if I could only get Bella back into my arms.

We pulled up along the side of Alice's Porsche with Emmett parking the Mercedes on the other side. Alice all but shoved Rose in the Mercedes and threw a brick on the gas pedal to have them out of the parking lot.

I glared at her trying to read her thoughts, but she just kept repeating the pledge of allegiance in each language she knew and then even went as far as watching it flash in sign language through her mind. She quirked a smile and winked at me before she pulled me out of the front seat to sit beside Jasper. Bella had just lifted Renesmee out of the car and was already glaring at Alice's head.

I slipped into the back seat, hoping to diffuse some of the tension. After a moment, Bella whispered to Renesmee, allowing her to wake a bit. Bella helped our daughter into the car to sit next to me. Immediately, she snuggled right into my shoulder and I lifted my arm over her own so she was comfortable. As Bella got in, she grazed the back of my hand with her upper arm, but only for a second before realizing it and quickly shutting the door and then leaning against it.

Jasper sent Renesmee some lethargy waves, causing her to stretch out to become more comfortable. Soon, she had her head and upper body molded up against my chest with her fingers clutching my shirt like a blanket while her legs hung over Bella's lap.

It was silent. No one dared to talk; the situation was uncomfortable enough. I kept finding myself stealing glances over from Renesmee to Bella. She was thinking hard about something, but at one moment she looked right into my eyes. Her lips pressed into a hard line before she mouthed the words, "thank you."

I was touched, but slightly clueless. "For what?" I asked as I busied my hands, brushing Renesmee's hair out of her face.

She smiled towards the floor. "For being a fantastic father to her. I always knew you would be… I'm just sorry it took so long for me to actually witness it." She frowned at her last statement, clearly wishing that Renesmee had had me for a longer amount of time. And I couldn't help wondering if she missed that time with me as well.

"You're a pretty incredible mother yourself." I stated simply. It was true; an utter fact.

She laughed and mouthed the word, "sure," in my direction.

I wanted to reach for her hand; how could she not think she was a wonderful mother? Look at Renesmee; she's perfect because of her. "Don't. Bella, you have made our daughter into the most amazing person. She's caring and loving, and strong. She's fearless and wonderful. She knows exactly who she is; she's comfortable in her skin and knows people intuitively. She's… she's so much like you."

I found myself waiting for the blush that was long gone. I heard Alice giggle internally. "Are you doing this?" Bella hissed. I turned to face her again, hoping she wasn't angry with me, but then saw her; eyes locked with Jasper in the rearview mirror.

Jasper's mind was going back over his actions; completely out of instinct. He had worked his power on Renesmee, but not on Bella or myself. "No, this is all you two." He held his hands in surrender for a moment and then returned to staring out the windshield.

She took a breath. "Thank you Edward," she whispered, only for myself to hear. I heard the emotions in her voice; along with Jasper's reading. She was appreciative, grateful, and forgiving. She was coming around; not in how I hoped, but it was an improvement; a step in the right direction at least.


	7. Meddlers

**Things I own: Two lighted Christmas trees and a new copy of "17 Again."**

**Things I DON'T own: Twilight and all of its characters… oh and the music I made reference to.**

**A/N: Short, little outtake. More to come, I promise. I've already written another one but there are others that need to be written first. But, I do have the next two main chapters thought out.**

**So here's the next taste, just after the car plan… it's the Jasper/Alice Convo and the Rose/Edward convo that many people asked for :)**

**JPOV (Jasper)**

"Alice, what was that back there?" Edward had rushed off into the house as soon as the car stopped, but Alice claimed she needed help with her bags.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jazzy." _Really, calling me "Jazzy" will not help this situation._

"Alice…" I looked at her as she pulled twelve bags from the trunk.

"Oh, fine…" She dropped the bags and pulled me from the garage; sprinting into the woods behind our house.

We ran for about ten minutes before she stopped. "This will do…"

She wouldn't offer an explanation so I pressed again. "What are you doing, Alice?"

"Helping my siblings." She smiled proudly.

"By meddling?" I phrased it as a question, but it clearly wasn't.

She looked at me as if she was shocked; _not likely_. "Me? Meddle? Oh, Jazz, ye of little faith…"

"Cut it, Alice. Bella and Edward will tear you apart if you mess with this." _And then light the match…_

"No. They'll thank me. When all is said and done, they'll be happy that Renesmee and I meddled in their lives." She turned, hoping I would agree; like always.

"I doubt it," I whispered under my breath. "Wait… you _and_ Renesmee? You're bringing our niece into this. Alice…" I laughed. "You'll corrupt her."

"Hardly, it was her idea…" She giggled.

Oh my, apparently, she was truly a 'mini-Alice.' _Poor Bella and Edward._

I gave up the fight; it was practically over from the point that she opened the trunk anyways. Besides, the less I know the better.

**RPOV (Rosalie)**

I don't want to do this…

I don't want to lose my temper; I want to be caring, but if he upsets me…

Ok, here it goes. I knocked on Edward's door.

"Come in… if you must." He added it softly, but I was fuming already. Did he really need to test my patience right now?

"I talked to her today." I kept it short, along with my tone.

"Oh." _That's the best he can come up with._ "Yes," he answered my thought.

"Why'd you lie to her? That's worse than just leaving her, Edward." Bella didn't want me to talk to him about it, but I _had_ to; she was my sister…

He laughed without humor, whispering 'funny.' I hissed and he quickly spoke. "I didn't know how to make her let me go… I thought it would be for the best. I thought she would move on quicker that way."

"You're an idiot." He looked at me, confused; probably because I said it kindly. "Edward, Bella _could never_ move on from you. She was in love with you; she still is."

"She told you?" He looked at me hopefully.

"Not exactly, she loves you, but doesn't know how…" His face fell. "Edward, I'm not going to speak for her. That's between you and her." He nodded. "Besides, if it was up to me; she would have smashed your head in when you left her, when you found her, and now; just for the heck of it."

"Thankfully, it's not up to you." He grinned.

"Shut up, Edward. I want her to be happy, but right now… I don't care what you want. You broke her, abandoned her, and now you want her back. I say you got what you deserved. But…" I paused, hoping to actually say it without sounding harsh. _Sure._ "I do hope that whatever Bella decides that she wants, with you or without you; I hope she gets it, for her."

I turned and left before he could say something that would set me off even further.


	8. The Concert

**Things I Own: A brand-new iTouch with the Twilight Tracker app.**

**Things I DON'T Own: Twilight and the songs/bands I make reference too.**

**A/N: Here's the concert scene with Nes, Emmett, and Jasper. This should answer a few questions and then add some more… ohh and lots of bonding :) Enjoy!**

**RPOV (Renesmee)**

Uncle Jasper opened the door to the private box. I would have been fine in the throngs of sweaty people; waving my arms and enjoying the music, but it's not really the best place for a vampire… although I highly doubt that that was the real reason we had our own private box in the stadium.

_Did I mention the box can hold twenty five people and it was just the three of us?_

Yeah, protective… I think the whole family is a bit… obsessive with protecting its own. But, at least I'm counted as one of their "own."

Uncle Emmett had gone downstairs to get me a concert tee. I could have gone. I'm fully capable of that. _Deep breaths._ But he insisted, which… is… _fine_. Whatever. I wanted to talk to Uncle Jasper anyways.

I couldn't get what Aunt Alice had said out of my mind.

"… _but Jasper did. His blood lust has always been manageable, but compared to the others, it's slightly uncontrolled. He hadn't been practicing the diet for as long. His thirst took over and he regretted it the second it happened. Edward pushed Bella out of the way and pushed Jasper away so Emmett and Rose could get him out, but the damage was done."_

I felt so bad for him; worst of all he would have felt _everything_. That had to be… horrible. I wanted him to know I wasn't mad and that he wasn't to blame. I'm sure mom felt the same way, but I wanted to say it from me.

"Uncle Jasper?" I mumbled as I took a seat; he sat down next to me, ignoring the other 23 empty chairs.

"What's wrong Renesmee? You're tense; aren't you happy to be here?" Of course, he knew what I was feeling…

"I'm so happy to be here. I'm so excited. But I wanted to talk to you about something."

He looked at me for a moment; reading my emotions. "Go ahead."

"Aunt Alice told me… about what happened… at Mom's birthday party."

He looked down; ashamed that I knew the truth. "I'm so sorry, so sorry, Renesmee."

I put my hand on his shoulder. I expected to see regret, but not this way. He was… almost… fearful of my reaction. Like he thought I would cast him out or hurt him some way. "Why are you sorry, Uncle Jazz? It's not your fault."

He leaned back in his chair. "Of course it is; if I hadn't attacked Bella, then we wouldn't have left, at least not so soon. And then you would have had us. And we would've had you." He whispered the last part.

"If Dad hadn't had left… yeah, we would have all been together. But it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is." He said with determination, but I was _not_ having that.

"Why do you think that?" He began to speak, but I cut him off. "Mom cut her finger and you were caught off guard."

"I was weak." He declared.

"No, you were brought up differently. That's why the others were able to resist and help you. They were all taught to not kill people as vampires; they only killed on accident. But you were brought into this world knowing what traditional vampires know; that vampires kill humans for food, for blood. That has an impact." He shook his head, mumbling something about how it didn't matter. "Oh, it matters." I paused. "I wanted to kill Aunt Angela."

He looked to me like I had two heads. Once I had his attention, I continued. "After I was born, and she took me away from Mom, I got to smell her. There were no distractions then. Mom had been drinking blood for me and I wanted Aunt Angela's when I smelled it."

Jasper looked sympathetic, but I wasn't looking for that emotion. "I love Aunt Angela. She's family and I knew that I shouldn't hurt her. Even as a baby, I knew that hurting people was wrong and I knew Mom trusted her to protect and take care of me. I even knew then that I loved Aunt Angela, but the scent; I wanted to bite and drink. It was instinct."

"It's not the same for you, as it is for us, for me. You're a… hybrid." He was right, but still… he didn't know how hard it was.

"I was a baby, only minutes old. I could've killed her. She wouldn't have been able to fight me off, and she wouldn't have expected it. It would've been easy. I almost gave in, but she got blood from the fridge for me and it… helped me resist. I resisted the whole time she was with me. I fought it for her, because I loved her. She was the only person to take care of me besides Mom."

"It's still not the same Renesmee…" He looked to the ceiling.

I sighed; maybe not exactly the same but close enough. "You met Aunt Angela right?" He nodded, still facing the ceiling. "You remember what she smelled like? No open wounds, just her natural human scent?" He nodded once more. "Okay, look at it from my point of view…"

I held my hand to his face and showed him what I wanted him to see. I showed him Aunt Angela taking me from Mom's stomach; I hadn't really smelled anything at that point. I was too disorientated. Once she had taken me to the bedroom, I started to fear for Mom. I saw Jasper shift and knew he felt my fear. _Perfect, he'll feel it all._

It all came at once, just like when it had happened. I took a deep breath as Aunt Angela held my head under the water; preparing myself for the feeling of water drenching me. That's when I smelled her.

The scent was rich, pungent, but light at the same time. My mouth watered and I wanted to simply turn my head to the side and bite her wrist to taste it. I looked at her confused; wondering why someone who smelled like food would help me so. I continued to dissect the scent; wondering if the taste was as delicious. I could feel it running in my mouth, though I never actually bit her. I knew what the sensation would feel like even though I had no prior knowledge to fall back on. I imagined that the texture was creamy and the flavor sweet to taste. Maybe how I would imagine melted ice cream to be now.

I let the image fade from Jasper. He took deep breaths, dealing with the onslaught of blood lust; and no doubt thankful that we had our own private box. "It was the first time I resisted… the first time I smelled it. That's why it was so strong. It's not like that anymore; thank god. But when it catches me off guard… like when someone splits their lip in gym or skins their knee in the courtyard… I have to take a step back and just… deal. No one notices, I'm quick… years of practice I guess, but I _do_ understand."

Jasper looked in my eyes as he stroked my face. "You're still stronger than me, Renesmee."

"No, don't you see? I didn't know what to do. I had no experiences to fall back on. But you… you had that way of life, you acted on instinct. It's not your fault."

"But I'm still the one to blame…"

_Okay, now I'm getting aggravated._ "Who blames you? I don't. Does Mom?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"No," he whispered.

"Does Aunt Alice?"

"No."

"Does Dad?"

"No."

"Does Grandpa or Grandma blame you? Or Aunt Rose or Uncle Emmett?" He knew the point I was making, but he couldn't argue it.

"No, but-"

I cut him off, knowing where his comment was headed. "No, they don't; so why do you? Everyone could share blame in this situation. Mom should have been more careful and not cut herself. Dad should have not overreacted. Aunt Alice should have seen it. Grandpa and Grandma should have made you hunt. Uncle Emmett should have gotten to you sooner and had Aunt Rose help him hold you back. Do you think anyone blames them? Do _you_ blame them?"

"No, they're not to blame… not at all."

"And neither are you. Everything is fine. Everything worked out, or will work out soon. Trust me." I smiled, seeing him nod slowly knowing that I wouldn't settle for anything less than his agreement.

He smiled at me. "You have that gleam… in your eye."

"What gleam?" I asked, giggling slightly.

"The gleam that Alice gets… when she's up to something… when she's scheming." He raised an eyebrow, which only made me laugh harder.

"Mom does call me a 'mini-Alice'…" I looked away, knowing full well that he was on to me. "What do you usually do when Aunt Alice gets that gleam in her eye?"

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "With Alice… usually I try to talk her out of whatever plan she's forming. Try to convince her that she shouldn't meddle and just leave things alone." He stared me down, but again, I just giggled.

"And when that doesn't work?"

"When it doesn't work; I submit and do what she asks of me, but… I have her tell me only what I need to know, nothing more." He was fierce about the details. I laughed again.

"Oh, your mother and father are in trouble now…" He laughed as he looked away from me.

"Yup." I giggled as I faced the stage.

***

It was intermission between Muse and U2. The show was already amazing and I laughed every time I saw Emmett and Jasper singing along. For some reason, it just cracked me up.

_Beep._

_Beep._

Jasper pulled out his cell phone and read it aloud after laughing to himself. "Jazz, make sure you get me some cute concert tees. One of every style; they'll be in for a while."

Uncle Emmett laughed along with me. "Go on Jazz, she'll set you ablaze if you don't follow instructions."

Uncle Jasper sighed as he made his way out the door. I laughed again and looked to Uncle Emmett. "Having fun, Nes?"

"Absolutely," I giggled again.

"What's so funny?" He knew it wasn't about Uncle Jasper.

"Nothing…" He looked unconvinced. "I just never had a nickname before; that I liked. That's all. Although I think Mom secretly hates it."

"Oh, she'll get over it. What nicknames did you have that you didn't like?" He looked _too_ interested; like he was gathering information.

"Just the usual… people always wanted to call me Esme or Renee when they found out how I got my name…" It wasn't a _real _lie. A few girls in Montana wanted to shorten my name to one of my grandmother's names, but I stood firm against it. Truth was: there were worse names, but I didn't want Emmett to know them… he may use them. If he ever compared me to the Loch Ness Monster, I may have to rip his fingers off.

"Really? That's all? Not much to 'not like' about those?" He prodded.

"Nope, guess not." I looked back to the stage. There were two large screens that had a countdown to when U2 would take the stage. _Twenty-two minutes and counting…_

Emmett was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. "So… you and David Sanders, huh?"

I think that was the first time, ever, that I choked. I actually choked. _Did Uncle Emmett, the uncle I have known for about a month, just ask me about my love life?_ Seriously, that is just uncomfortable.

"What?" I managed to squeak out.

"Your Dad told me… and I think I speak for all the family, especially your Dad, Jasper, Carlisle, and myself, when I say; _dump his ass_." I thought I was going to have to pull my eyes back into their sockets. _Did he seriously just tell me to dump a guy that I haven't even gone out with; one that I really like and _want_ to go out with?_

"Uncle Emmett, that's not your business; anyone's business for that matter. I'm twenty; even Mom has lost that right at this point."

"I'll scare the shit out of him, Nes. He's not good enough for you." He smiled at the threat. _Oh, it's time Emmett knew who he was messing with._

"Do you really want to go there, Uncle Emmett? Do you really want to let loose my fury; trust me, Aunt Rose has nothing on me?" I knew the stories; that Aunt Rose could be a bitch. So what?

He laughed. That's all he did, not even a verbal answer, just a laugh. I smiled. He truly had no idea. "Uncle Em, you're gonna regret this. I love you, but you have no idea what you just did. Sorry."

He laughed again. _Oh, he is so dead._ I couldn't exact my revenge yet… no, first I needed to do some research. I wanted to enjoy the concert and spend time with my uncles. But tomorrow…. Tomorrow, Uncle Emmett pays and then he'll become a helpful volunteer when it comes to helping me and Aunt Alice get Mom and Dad back together.

I smiled to myself. He was still laughing.

**A/N: In case you didn't laugh then… picture this. Emmett sitting next to little Renesmee (he's about a foot taller than her and about 100-150 pounds heavier). Laughing yet? You know he'll be sorry soon :)**

**Let me know what you think Nes will find out about her Uncle that is **_**so**_** bad that Emmett will do whatever she says… I just couldn't bring myself to reveal it yet :)**


	9. Escape Mission

**Things I Own: Two ticket stubs from New Moon and four more New Moon chocolates.**

**Things I DON'T Own: Twilight and the songs/bands I make reference too.**

**A/N: A little Edward and Bella and a bit of Emmett and Edward which cracks me up… almost up to the new chapters. I think its self explanatory, but feel free to ask some questions if you need to :) Oh, by the way... I combined two extras... they don't really go together, but I wanted to submit both of them together so I can get to the main story sooner.**

**BPOV (Bella)**

The wind blew my hair behind my shoulders as I ran through the trees. _God, I love running._ The stress was wearing on me, but running… running was _helping_.

While I was running, Renesmee wasn't at a concert with her less than mature uncles.

While I was running, she didn't have a boy looking for her attention.

While I was running, I wasn't a high school student, again.

While I was running, there was no dance coming up in a few short days.

But most importantly… while I was running, Edward and I weren't an issue… we didn't have an issue.

It was an escape… an escape that I knew he enjoyed as well, but that's not the point.

While I'm running, I don't have to think of the ways that he affects me. Or the ways that I care for him. Or the few simple words, that if I said them, we'd be together…

I slowed down. _So much for my escape._

I didn't need to hunt. I had hunted a day ago with Jasper. It was just in preparation for the concert for him, but I wanted us to spend time together. Before, when I was human, we didn't spend time around each other much. _Mostly because I smelled so damn tasty…_ But now, we didn't have my blood as an issue, and I realized Jasper was nearly as much of a best friend as Alice.

I heard a rustle and smelled the air. No musk, no fur. The scent of sweet honey drifted to me; along with something I had no way of describing. It was simply the scent of Edward.

He was close, but obviously trying to keep his distance from me.

_Does he forget that I'm a vampire?_

"Edward." I spoke in a normal tone, knowing he would hear me anyway, but he didn't respond.

"… Edward, come out. I won't be mad, I promise." I know my moods were hard to read lately. But every time I let my guard down, he looked at me with those damn eyes and the cold exterior came crashing back in place simply as a defense mechanism.

I heard the rustling again, from behind, but I didn't turn around. "Sorry, I was just…"

He sounded apologetic, and again my defenses fell while my heart expanded. "Its fine, Edward. You don't need to explain."

I turned to face him and saw his butterscotch eyes staring back at me. He wasn't here to hunt; that much was obvious. "What brings _you_ here?" I questioned while jogging through the trees with him hot on my trail.

"Just looking for an escape from the… madness, I guess…" he whispered as he kept up.

_An escape, figures…_

"I get that," I mumbled.

"You're not hunting." It wasn't a question and I didn't feel the need to respond so he pressed on. "Running feels calming, doesn't it?"

I nodded before feeling the need to voice my explanation. "It's an escape from everything; I get that now…"

I glanced over to see him staring intently as he kept up with my pace. "I always knew you would," he mumbled before gaining more speed and leaving me alone in the woods.

***

**EPOV (Edward)**

I walked through the school hallways.

I was on a mission today.

It was a mission I had accepted days ago, but I wasn't in the correct "peace-of-mind" for it days ago. If I had started my spying mission then, well, David Sanders may have been a whole other issue. _To be more descript, a dead issue._

David Sanders.

From what I knew of him, he was a normal seventeen year old male; mildly popular; generally a nice, well-liked guy. All in all, he wasn't a person that I would cast a second glance on.

But…

But, he wanted to date my daughter. _The fact that I couldn't threaten him was slightly irritating me to no end, since everyone needed to think that we were all friends, and not family._

The fact that he was a "good guy" was the only reason I hadn't followed through with any of my more "creative" tactics to get him away from Renesmee. Had he been Nick Truman or Gabe Crenna, or any of the other hormonal teenage boys at this school, he would have been dealt with five times over by now.

No, because he was a "good guy," I was on a reconnaissance mission to ensure that he was said "good guy."

"Going to spy on the punk that thinks he going to the dance with Nes?" Emmett whispered as he began following me through the crowded hallways.

"Go away, Emmett. I got this." _This was a father's right; and I was going to enjoy it one way or another; either I'd find out that he was a stand-up guy or that he deserved to meet my fist, many times._

"Not a chance, I want to scare the shit out of that guy. No one lays a finger on my niece!" He spoke with force, even in a whisper.

"Fine, you can come, but you're watching from the sidelines with me." He huffed, but agreed. I couldn't exactly walk up to him and give him the third degree; that would be a bit odd coming from a "boy" that Renesmee has known, only, for a few months.

Emmett beat me to the door of the gym. I ran ahead of him, at human speed of course, and guided him towards the bleachers at the far end. Both Bella and Renesmee were in this class, along with David. I had ruled out questioning him myself… _why would he answer the questions of another guy that has "no" ties to the girl he's dating._

Instead, I decided to… more or less… spy on him while he interacts with my daughter. Bella was in on it; or least she agreed to back me up should Renesmee catch me.

"_Damn, that girl has the perfect body."_ Add another mindless high school boy to my "maim list." _This list is getting long…_

_Okay, focus on the mind at hand… David… _

"_Oh damn… way to show off for Renesmee by missing the easiest of shots."_ I laughed to myself, as Emmett's chuckles rang in my ears.

"Dude, he can't make a simple layup. I take it back; he's unworthy of dating any girl." He laughed again.

Renesmee was actually still impressed; at least by the fact that he didn't give into all the jeering he was receiving. _Damnit all to…_

"_She made the shot, wow. She is good at _everything._" _He wasn't being condescending or inappropriate. He was generally infatuated with my daughter.

Bella looked over to me quickly, searching for my findings. I nodded my head and shrugged.

Bella looked to David while he was telling Renesmee that she made a great shot and then she returned the nod.

"Oh man, you're not gonna let me torture the kid, are you?" Emmett grumbled.

I laughed, without humor. "Not yet, Emmett. Not yet."

**A/N: I know… you all have been really patient with me and I promise that you won't have to be for too much longer. This is the last extra before the two new chapters that I'm working on next. I've thought both chapters out during my four 2-hour drives in the last week during Christmas, the dialogue is (to me) pretty good.**

**Read and Review for me; it keeps me motivated :)**

**Kmwhyte**


	10. My Girlfriend Forgot Me This Christmas

**Things I own: A poinsettia and a dying Amaryllis plant.**

**Things I don't own: Twilight, its characters, and the songs I make reference to.**

**A/N: Here is the alternate "ending" that I promised. Although it's more of an ending than the new plot line, it was what I was planning on doing from the beginning… but honestly there are a few reasons I chose to alter it;**

**I love this story and don't want to let it go.**

**I wanted for Bella and Edward to have a little fun together.**

**I think some of you may track me down and attack me if I didn't get them together soon.**

**With that said, I still love this "alternate", so I hope you do too :)**

**The only thing you need to be aware of, is that the last chapter (29) did not happen, Bella didn't stop running at the same point and Edward didn't catch up to her…**

**-kmwhyte**

**BPOV (Bella)**

Six Weeks, four days, and thirteen hours.

That's how long it's been since I ran.

Ran from everything and everyone that is good for me.

Ran away from him.

_I don't know why it feels like this, but honestly… it feels like that's all I do._ _It feels like I've been running since he left me in the forest that day._

And I was tired of it.

But I couldn't seem to stop. My legs never ceased moving and my brain told me it was the only option; that he'd hurt me. It was like he was a magnet and we were polar opposites. Anytime he moved closer, I ran. It was all I could do; no matter how much I wanted to stop.

Everyone tried to talk to me about it.

Alice had come over the next morning, although she had to wait for me to return since I had run all the way to Colorado before I realized no one was following me; at least they weren't following that far.

Alice claimed that Edward ran after me and maybe he did. But it didn't matter, I pushed it too far. Everyone has a limit and I knew I blew his. He could only be expected to work so hard. Now it was over.

Alice tried to coerce me into apologizing and when that didn't work, she apologized herself; claiming it was all her fault.

But it wasn't, not completely.

Jasper and Rosalie decided to take me hunting. Basically, they launched a double assault of apologies. _"It was all Renesmee and Alice. We thought they knew best. We're sorry."_

I forgave them. Of course I did, but it wasn't them I was angry with anymore. It was me.

Emmett claimed that Renesmee was the devil and that it was all her doing and he was told to follow orders. _"She's crazy, Bella. I love both of you, but she is… crazy." _

_Tell me something I don't know…_

At first, Renesmee gave me the silent treatment; which was fine since that's what she was receiving from me. I couldn't seem to blame any of them, but when I saw how she looked at me, I was furious. At both of us.

Two weeks passed before we talked again; at least, before we talked about anything relevant and even then it was only in passing.

It was always, _"I'm going to Dad's." _or _"I'm spending the weekend with Aunt Alice."_

I basically sheltered myself off. Edward didn't come to look for me. I had convinced myself that if there was still a shot at us, he would have. And when he didn't, I found no reason to… function.

It was always there, that small possibility that we'd be us again. That he would love me and want me. That I'd forgive and forget. That we'd be a family. Forever.

And as much as I repelled that possibility, I clung to it.

Three weeks after the formal, Jasper and Emmett came by the house. Things were better, but barely. I faintly felt the déjà vu. It was like my 18th birthday again, but worse… there wasn't anything to distract me now. No miracle baby…

I don't know how it happened, how I agreed to it, but I apparently did. Jasper started helping me work with my shield. Why I needed to enhance it or relinquish it, I have no idea. But, we worked for the next three weeks.

Now, here I am, with an ability that "can move mountains" (according to Jasper) and no Edward. _Story of my life…_

I sat on the couch, pulling my shield down and then stretching it around the house… over and over again. It didn't really matter, no one was attacking… it was just a way to pass the time.

"Christmas at the Grandpa and Grandma's on Saturday. You're coming." Renesmee came through the door, barely stopping to gaze in my direction and then continued on to her room.

"No thank you. You have fun." I mumbled. She would hear; she would be listening for it.

"No!" I turned to see her coming through the living room doorway. "You're coming. I've done the shopping; all you need to do is bring a gift for Dad. And it better be good. Consider it my gift from you." She hissed, daring me to speak back to my own daughter.

"I don't think it's a good idea…" I whispered.

"I don't care!" I glared at her. She never had a temper, especially with me. "I know you're my mom and he's my dad, but you two are being ridiculous. You both believe the other doesn't care and it's crap. I can't stand seeing you two like this."

_Two? He was feeling this way too?_

"I can't take it anymore. You've got to make this work out, Bella." My mouth gaped open as she called me by my name. She'd never done that before. "Make it right; get him something from the heart, please. Mom?" I heard the heartbreak in her voice. She was so… desperate. My daughter was desperate for her mom and dad to be together, or at the very least be happy and friendly.

"Fine, I'll go." I relented, going back to my shield exercising.

"Good." She walked back to her room, not saying another word.

***

I pulled up to the mansion. I don't remember the drive at all. I just drove, following something I couldn't name.

Renesmee hopped from the car as soon as I braked. I popped the trunk and Renesmee went to fetch her gifts.

"Mom?" I lazily opened my door and walked to the back of the car.

"Hmm?"

"Where's Dad's gift? You got him one, right?" She glared at me.

"I got him something; it would just be ridiculous to wrap it." It would be weird wrapping something that you couldn't see.

"Well, what is it?" She looked weary; like she was sure I was lying.

"I would rather he finds out from me than you. Sorry." I tucked a curl behind her ear, smiling at her determination.

"It better be good…" She warned. _If only she knew…_ God, I hope he likes it… I hope it works…

I followed her in, carrying in a few gift bags. They weighed nothing, but I somehow knew they were worth more than I cared to guess. _Alice…_ But I wasn't mad, I couldn't be…

There were hugs, greetings and awkward silences… _okay, scratch that_, one awkward silence. Edward. I smiled weakly, only to receive the same exact smile in return. It crushed me and gave me hope at the same time, which only seemed to make me want to grovel and cry.

Gifts were given, but I didn't really pay attention to it. I just kept trying to steal glances of Edward from behind my hair.

I smiled.

I unwrapped boxes and pulled tissue paper from bags.

I said 'thank you.'

A swift nudge to my shoulder pulled me from my catatonic state. I turned to see Renesmee glaring at me. "Your gift? For Dad?" she whispered in a hiss.

_Right, the gift… The last ditch effort…_

_The only hope…_

"Edward." He looked to me, just as everyone else did. "Can I talk to you outside?"

All eyes peered from him to me, waiting for his answer; just like I was.

"…Of course." He looked nervous and anxious and scared to death.

We walked outside, him following behind me. I walked by the car, and then continued to circle the car three times before Edward stopped me by pulling at my wrist. "Did you really ask me out here to play follow the leader?" He questioned.

"No." I spoke so soft, I wasn't sure I had spoken at all.

"Then why?" I couldn't decipher his expression; it was heartbreaking and breathtaking at the same time.

I breathed deep and then reached my hands to his face. He almost took a step back, almost.

_Hi._

He blinked at me and then looked at me questioningly.

_Yeah, I figured it out… how to turn off the shield, or whatever…_

"Wow." He was quiet and astonished. "Are you… are you going to… let me… hear you?"

_Yes. _He smiled and placed his hands over mine on his face, holding me to him. _I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Edward. I can't apologize enough._ I kept thinking about how much I regret before he stopped my rant by stoking my fingers still on his face.

"I'm sorry too, but please go on." He smiled.

_Okay. I messed up. I ran and I regret it because… because of how we are. And it's my fault. I panicked, and I'm sorry for that._

"Stop with the sorry, Bella." I took another deep breath. "This is amazing, you're amazing." He leaned his forehead against mine and all I could think was how wonderful it felt. And I lost my focus. "Wait, no…" He shook his head and his eyes pleaded for me to let my shield back down.

"It's okay, sorry, it takes focus… and I… lose it when you do that." He pulled away a bit, but held my hands to his face again.

"Try again… please?" I nodded; I still had more to say.

_I'm scared and not because you'll leave, but because I'm different than I used to be._ He shook his head and I showed him the vision I have of him coming in one night. I'm thrilled to see him, but he looks solemn. He tells me that I'm too different and that he'll always love me, just not enough.

"Never. Going. To. Happen." He spoke fiercely and I simply nodded; I had no other option but to believe him.

_I hope so, but the fear doesn't go away so easily._ I smiled, showing him I didn't hold my fear against him._ But… I love you. More than anything in this world, besides Renesmee. I want to be with you._

Snap. The shield was back in place because his lips were on mine. They moved from my mouth to my left cheek, to my forehead, to my right cheek, to my neck, and lower to my collarbone.

I stilled his movements, and then gasped because I could actually stop him from moving if I wanted to. But I didn't really want to, _but I did need to_.

"What? What'd I do? Did I misunderstand?" He rushed through his words, gripping my waist so I couldn't get away.

"No, no. I want _this_. I _want_ you. I just… need it to go slower. I love you, Edward! I swear to God, I love you _so much_. I just really need for us to take it a bit slower. I hate that I need that… but I do." I ran my fingers through his hair at the back of his neck over and over, relaxing myself with the repetition.

"Okay. I can wait… but I _have got_ to kiss you." I laughed as he took my lips over with his again. I could let him enjoy his Christmas present a bit.

**A/N: See it would have ended… had to change it up ;)**


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